Smartphone manufacturers you may have forgotten about
Later this year, the 1980s TV game show Family Fortunes will return to our screens.
Younger readers may wish to imagine Family Fortunes as a reverse Pointless, where the answer is to choose the most common responses, rather than the least common.
Like Pointless, success depends on choosing answers to questions which have previously been put to a sample survey of 100 people.
On both shows, many questions revolve around brand recognition or product recall.
And if a hundred people were asked tomorrow to name smartphone manufacturers, it’s fairly easy to guess which brands would be most commonly cited.
Apple’s ubiquity should place it ahead of Samsung, with relative newcomers like Huawei also likely to perform strongly ‘thanks’ to recent press coverage.
Then there’s the second tier of manufacturers including LG and Sony, who retain a modest but loyal customer base.
A few people in the chosen 100 might even think of Google’s Pixel range, or Taiwanese brand HTC, who have enjoyed modest success on these shores.
However, there are plenty of forgotten smartphone manufacturers still in the market, or new entrants who haven’t achieved critical mass yet.
Forgotten but not gone
Any list of forgotten smartphone manufacturers should include BlackBerry, as it may surprise many people to discover they’re still a going concern.
There are currently four BlackBerry models on sale in the UK, three of which incorporate the brand’s trademark QWERTY buttons in lieu of a touchscreen keyboard.
The Canadian firm’s decision to adopt the Android operating system in place of BlackBerry OS probably ensured its survival, though its handsets are acquired tastes nowadays.
Another company with a vastly reduced market share is Nokia, whose 2020 range includes a mildly updated version of the iconic 3310 handset from 2000.
Like BlackBerry, Nokia had to adopt Android to survive, though its 19-model range has won several recent design awards thanks to some impressive specifications.
The 8.3 has 5G, the 800 Tough offers 1.8 metres of drop protection, and the 9 Pureview incorporates five rear cameras powered by Zeiss lenses.
The third Millennial brand to make our list of forgotten smartphone manufacturers is Motorola, whose Razr was a highly prized possession in the mid-Noughties.
Once again, the 2020-era Razr model plays on consumer nostalgia, though its bending 6.2-inch 21:9 ratio screen does represent cutting-edge technology.
Motorola’s current UK range also includes the budget E6s, the G8 Power and the 5G Moto G.
Yet to make a name for themselves
As well as former market leaders, a random focus group of 100 people may struggle to name some of the budget smartphone manufacturers whose products are available in the UK.
Huawei has led the Chinese assault on the domestic smartphone market with its highly regarded P30 and P40 range of handsets.
Compatriot brands like Oppo and Honor are mainly focused on the budget end of the market, with a variety of undistinguished products on offer.
Their products compete with affordable European brands including France’s Alcatel and Sweden’s Doro.
It may be hard to imagine any of these companies becoming iconic smartphone brands to rival Apple and Samsung, yet the same could have been said for Huawei a decade ago.
If product designs and buying propositions are compelling enough, a brand can evolve into a consumer favourite at any time.
As it does, another brand tends to fall from grace, eventually joining the list of largely forgotten smartphone manufacturers.